STATS: How Do We Compare At This Stage To Other Seasons?

It’s interesting to see that, despite all our complaints, that we’ve only bettered our current points total on 21 games on just one occasion in recent years, back in 2006/2007. Even if you didn’t take in to account the fact our injury list has been far worse than our title rivals, Manchester City, to be three points off the top at this stage in the season is a good position to be in. When you think even in 2007/2008, when we had that magical team we always rave about, our points total was identical to what it is now with a worse goal difference to the one we’ve amounted this season, it’s fairly incredible.

This doesn’t mean an awful lot where this year’s title race is concerned and I’m not trying to argue that because we’re three points better off than we were this time last season that we’ll certainly go on to win the league this season. Whether you win the title is obviously dependent on the strength of your title rivals, which is why 80 points was enough to win it last season but we needed 90 points to win it two seasons earlier.

However, for all our moaning, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to take a step back and give this current team the recognition they deserve. We’re not at full strength, there are areas we want to see new signings put in to, yet here they are on a level with the 07/08 team in terms of points.

It does make you wonder where we would be without the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Tom Cleverley out for months, or if we had bought that special midfielder we were all hoping for in the summer…

Fantastic stats STR, so this is our second best start for five years, pretty impressive if you ask me. I could only imagine where we would be had it not been for all the injuries we’ve suffered. Yes the bitters have had an excellent season so far but they will not last the pace, one injury and wankini is already moaning.

If we keep our players fit and with wee Thomas to come back its ours for the taking

We should all admit to being spoiled by the success of our team in the recent past. If your old enough to remember the dark days of the 70′s and 80′s the last 20years has been living the dream. For which I am feeling truly blessed.
If this team goes on to win the league this season it will rank up there with the best of them. Overcoming hurdles is one thing but to be where we are after all the disruption to the team is incredible. The red machine grinds on, and I for one f**kin love it.
Roll on 20.

Arsenal have no fullbacks, Nani looooves the Emirates, Valencia is on fire and their CBs won’t be able to handle Welbeck. We’ll probably need to outscore Arsenal as RVP will surely bag his customary goal, but I don’t see why we can’t do that.

Chelsea a bit more tricky and will probably be a tighter game. But with Drogba away and the Tranny misfiring, I think we need to aim for a clean sheet and hope to nick one at the other end. I think we can do it.

Very interesting – I was thinking about how we compare to previous seasons the other day and thought that we’d actually done pretty well so far in terms of total points, which proves to be correct. The issue is that City have had one of the best ever starts to a Premier League season – their first 9 or 10 games were ridiculous in terms of the points they earned and to still be in contention is credit to the current United boys. The one concern is that we have a lot of tricky games coming up – starting with Arsenal, and then Chelsea away, Liverpool at home – how we come out of these games will really shape the season. I think we’ll be OK though!

Doesn’t tell the whole story unfortunately. In a lot of those seasons, we’d gotten the toughest fixtures out of the way early and were still in a good position. Maybe that could be something that’s added to to the table? Number of top 4 teams played away at this stage?

We currently still have:

Arsenal (A)
Man City (A)
Chelsea (A)
Spurs (A)

So I’m not too optimistic. Thankfully we beat 3/4 of them on our own turf.

Arni- That’s the slightly disturbing thing. The fact that we still have a lot of tough away matches against the top teams to come. But the thing is that points will be dropped-by everyone-and we just have to take it a game at a time (cliche ryt? Lol). Still a lot to play for though and I’m looking forward to enjoying every minute of it

It will be a tougher game than some will imagine at arsenal. United have to turn up for the game, be compact defensively and ruthless if chances fall our away. Can’t afford to be sloppy, gotta respect arsenal.

I just feel that some of the posters on here tend to get a little hysterical sometimes, especially on match days. We should enjoy the success we are having but always remember that its not a god given right. Football usually goes in cycles and our club is the only one in the prem to have had continuous success. The efforts of the squad so far have been exceptional, yes there have been low points, ie Blackburn, but overall they have been great. What im really looking forward to is how they develop over the next two or three years. Now that could be worth waiting for.

“I have been reading that Dimitar (Berbatov) would have flown over to Frankfurt and that we would be in for him there to negotiate a transfer. That was interesting news to me,” Bayer Leverkusen executive Wolfgang Holzhauser told Express.

“I am clearly out to never say never, but this is nothing we are looking forward to at this point in time. And from today’s point of view I would also say we are not after him in the coming summer.”

Berbatov’s agent Emil Danchev has also confirmed no deal is on the cards, after Anzhi Makhachkala and CSKA Moscow were also linked to the striker.

“Usually I don’t comment on speculation from the press. They can say whatever they want,” Danchev told Sovetski Sport. “But the only thing that I can say is that at this moment the eventual transfer of Berbatov to another club is not on the agenda.”

Also, say we sign him. Then next season we have Vidic, Ferdinand used (sparingly), Jones, Smalling and Evans available, and Cahill – for me – becomes 6th-choice CB. Why would we sign? And why would we buy him?

on the evidence so far this season, Jones and Smalling are better than any other young players in the league. They’ve had more impact and certainly have had greater reviews, not just from UTD fans but from the wider footy community. Fergie knows best!

Doing well pal, again agreed… I never read nor post on the blog during or straight after a game, just drives me mad. I am in no way belittling our younger fans, far from it and the more we get on board the better. Like you said though we by enlarge have been spoiled with the success, more so I would imagine the younger lads who say started supporting the club in the 90′s on wards.

Personally its so much sweeter as I endured those dark years in the 70′s and 80′s when going to OT most of the time you would hope not to get beat and our best aspirations as fans every season was a decent run in the FA Cup.

So I am pretty much accustomed to United being trophy less and if that is required every few years in order to rebuild then so be it. I do not love United for the trophies, I just LOVE United

I think ever since City did us at home, given their form and the strength of their squad, the title has been theirs to lose. I believe that more than ever now. We must do our utmost, but I’d say that in any situation, United must always be relentless, it’s what we are it’s as much a part of the identity of the club as the colour red. So while I expect United to compete for every blade of grass this season, we are still looking to City to choke.

And I think they probably will. At the start of the season they looked impervious, but they are tiring, they’re getting dirty, bruised, understood. Teams are working out who the danger men are. Teams are finding the holes. Referees are wise to the mean streak and sick of their bullshit. The second half of this season is going to be hard for City. And if we stay on them we can win it.

It would be a travesty if City can buy the title, and I hope that the rest of English football can summon up the pride to stop that happening.

Interesting stats, and yes we have done bloody well. Out of all our injuries Smalling, Evans, Jones, Ferdinand, Raphael or Fabio and Cleverly have to stay fit between now and the end of the season. If those players can stay fit I’d be surprised if we’re not top at the end of the season.

Because I’m bored the following is a list of who we had left to play out of the rivals after Jan 19th season by season just to put it in perspective

That should put it in perspective, 06/07 looks really impressive looking back. As someone already pointed out we have

l’arse (A)
chelski (A)
vermin (H) BACK TO BACK GAMES with chelski
spurs (A)
cit-eh (H)

If on previous seasons I’m not wrong in saying we will need at least 10 points from them especially when taking in the reverse fixture’s results into account. The crucial period starts Sunday add to that we have a cup tie with the vermin and have chelski northern supporters rentboy club AKA stoke city to follow before the crunch ties with chelski and vermin to play. Now is the time to go on a winning run.

I’m well mate, just praying I get Ajax and vermin tickets!!! Fucking hate stoke went to uni and there and locals just after a scrap. Most of them have criminal records and are hell bent on taking everyone down with them.

Will never forget the last home in 2010 and how they were cheering chelski goals even though their team was get raped on the pitch. Then after the game quite a few of them I would say at least 100 singing Munich songs. Cunts hate them with a passion, the sooner they get relegated the better.

Contrary to what history states, I’m pretty sure that we need more points this term than any other for the simple fact that the league is getting more competitive with other teams on an equal footing in terms of money required to buy players. But, as we all know, money doesn’t win trophies. This will go down right to the wire, methinks. With Cit-eh finally stuttering and Cleverley due to come back, things are looking up for us. Glory! Man United!!!!!

Good effort NRD Yeah you’re right Zino…what we have to take into account is that the top teams still have to play each other, so all to play for really.

Also can’t wait for every minute of it, in a sick to my stomach, disturbing kind of way. It does make it all the more sweeter when we win the league against the odds and also when Fergie has defied critics/fans by not signing everyone they want us to sign. I just hope his stubbornness doesn’t come back to haunt us come May. It usually doesn’t.

To think after all the complaints and bitching from myself included, just imagine we’re going down Chelsea/Arsenal’s route now. Battling to get into Europe. It would just be unacceptable. Yet it seems quite normal and acceptable for them. That’s the difference. Form is temporary, class is permanent etc.

We just recently resigned that special midfielder Scott? He scores goals! Coming into this stage of the season, requires bottle. Whoever has the bottle to see it through, will win the league. And some luck as well, I may add. By the end March, we’ll have a better idea who’s in the race, and who ain’t. United have a tough run of games next few weeks. And a potentially explosive FA cup tie at anfield to contend with. At least city don’t have a clear run at the league. They have Europe on their minds too.

We had some tussle with Arsenal and took care of them. Then came Chelsea and we took care of them too. Now its City and the only way we can get our 20th title is to take care of them.
The stats by STR showed we’re on track. GGMU.

Like Arni says. Doesn’t tell the full story. We still have to go to some very tough grounds. For me the real disappointment has been out Old Trafford form. We’ve dropped 8 points there. More than we have on the road. And that’s why we are really in the same stage we were last season. 48 points after these specific 21 games. It will take something special to go beyond 80 points and win the title this season imo.